KURT BUSCH’S RACING “THEORY OF RELATIVIVTY” AT DARLINGTON:
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Says Saturday’s Darlington Finish Could Be Even Closer Than 2003’s Record-

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 6, 2008) – As incredible and perhaps unbelievable as it might sound, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch says that Saturday night’s Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway could produce a finish even closer than that of the March 16, 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.

            In that race, Busch and Ricky Craven staged the closest finish in the history of electronic scoring and timing along the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, with Craven taking the exciting victory by a mere 0.002 seconds over Busch.

            You could call it Busch’s abstract racing version of the “Theory of Relativity.”

            “As odd as that may sound, yes it could very well happen there on Saturday night,” said Busch, hoping to regroup at Darlington Raceway this weekend after enduring two consecutive disastrous races at Talladega and Richmond.  “It’s like taking two completely different sets of ingredients or circumstances and coming up with the same results.  That has certainly been the nature of our sport, especially over the last few years.

            “When Ricky and I staged that nail-biter at Darlington back in 2003, we were racing the smaller cars on old asphalt with softer tires,” said Busch.  “This time around, the elements are totally different.  We have the bigger and boxier cars.  We’ll have the brand new fresh asphalt.  And yeah, we’ll have the rock-hard Goodyear Tires there this weekend.

            “When you stop and think about it, it’s very much possible that we could have another close finish like we did in 2003.  I certainly don’t think that we’ll be running side-by-side and that close all night long; it would be absolutely absurd to think that could happen.  But if we were to get a late-race caution, it really could set up another race that close to the finish.

            “The new track will have a ton of grip, but the rock-hard tires will probably see us slipping and sliding all over the place,” Busch explained.  “If the cars are all bunched up for the finish of Saturday night’s race, you’ll likely see some of the brave and daring young souls out there pushing it to the limit and doing whatever it takes to win.  The key to it all, however, would probably be a late caution with less than 10 laps remaining.  We’d start single-file with the leaders up front and all the lapped cars completely out of the way and running behind them.

BUSCH’S RICHMOND NIGHT ENDS WITH SECOND CRASH IN TWO WEEKS
-Consecutive DNFs Drop Miller Lite Dodge Driver To 25th In NASCAR Sprint Cup Point Standings-

RICHMOND, Va. (May 4, 2008) – Kurt Busch was an innocent victim for the second consecutive weekend along the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour, getting caught up in another multi-car crash here in tonight’s Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway.  The end result relegated the Miller Lite Dodge driver to a 42nd-place finish and dropped him five spots to 25th in the point standings.

            “We’re trying so hard with our Miller Lite Dodge and just can’t steer clear of all the problems,” said Busch.  “It’s hard to believe we can have a Talladega-style crash here at Richmond, but that’s pretty much the best way to describe it.

            “The 10 car (Patrick Carpentier) spun into the inside wall and shot straight back across the track.  We had nowhere to go and plowed the front end right in there.  It stacked them up and there were probably a good quarter of the field that got caught up in it.

            “Our luck has to change sooner or later,” said Busch said of getting caught in the 12-car pileup.  “It looks like we’re just going to have to hang tough until that happens.”

            Busch started 21st here tonight and stayed in that spot for the first third of the race.  However, Juan Pablo Montoya spun in Turn 2 on Lap 139 to bring out the third yellow flag of the race, the Miller Lite Dodge began to move up through the field.

            Busch made it up to 12th and was threatening to move into the top-10 when the familiar “no turning off the center of the turn and loose off condition” again crept into the picture.  He had fallen to 16th when David Gilliland met the Turn 2 wall on Lap 205 to bring out the fourth caution period of the night.

            The No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge driver was 16th on the Lap 210 restart and was glad to get another caution flag 11 laps later, in order to reverse chassis changes made under the previous pit stop.

            Busch was 17th on the Lap 226 restart and was hoping to hook up with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman, running 18th at the time, and move back toward the front of the pack.

            Working Lap 230, Carl Edwards got into the rear end of J.J. Yeley’s Toyota and created a slowing “domino effect” back through the field.  Dave Blaney attempted to slow, but rammed Carpentier’s Dodge from the rear.  Carpentier fishtailed, then smacked the inside wall before veering straight back into the paths of Busch and the rest of the oncoming traffic.

            The multi-car incident was so severe that NASCAR officials were forced to display the red flag for an extensive cleanup that required some 22 minutes.  Busch took the mandatory ambulance ride to the infield hospital for a checkup and then headed for his team transporter to cool off.  He was able to do so and change into street clothes before emerging to meet the throng of media members gathered outside.

            “It’s a really difficult time for our Miller Lite Dodge Team right now and we’re doing everything we can to get things turned around,” Busch added.  “We just have to keep plugging away and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

            Up front here tonight, it was the “Denny Hamlin Show” until less than 20 laps remaining.  Then the fireworks really began.  Hamlin had led 381 laps and shown total domination in a record fashion.  But a flat front tire on Hamlin’s Toyota with 17 laps remaining took him from the picture.

            Dale Earnhardt Jr. had last won on the circuit here two years ago and looked to end that victory drought as he was leading with five laps remaining.  Kyle Busch, replaced by Earnhardt at Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the 2007 season, was second on the restart.  He was able to close in on Earnhardt’s rear bumper with four laps remaining and made a daring moving to the inside.  Unfortunately, he washed up into Earnhardt and the No. 88 car went spinning into the outside wall.

            While the smoke cleared, Clint Bowyer slid by to gain the lead as the final yellow flag set up a green-white-checkered finish.  The top six cars stayed on the track and Bowyer led on the ensuing restart.  While Busch and Mark Martin battled for the runner-up spot, Bowyer was able to cruise to his second career NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.

            Busch held off Martin for the runner-up spot, with Tony Stewart finishing fourth and Martin Truex Jr. fifth.  Kevin Harvick, Newman, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Reed Sorenson rounded out tonight’s top-10 finishers.  Earnhardt was credited with a 16th-place finish.

            Kyle Busch grabbed the points lead after his second-place finish here tonight.  With 1495 points, he has a 21-point lead of Jeff Burton.  Earnhardt is third and 107 points behind the younger Busch Brother.

            Newman was able to maintain current “Chase eligibility” with his solid performance and keep hopes alive for Penske Racing’s return to the run for the championship.  Newman is 11th in the standings with 1,208 points.  He holds a 52-point cushion over 13th-place Gordon.  Penske Racing rookie Sam Hornish Jr. finished 23rd here tonight and holds down the 34th spot in the points.

            The Sprint Cup tour now returns to the historical Darlington Raceway for next weekend’s Dodge Challenger 500.  The 367-lap,  501.3-mile battle around the 1.366-mile freshly-paved egg-shaped oval has a 7:20 p.m. EDT starting time next Saturday and features live coverage by FOX-TV and MRN Radio.

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Yes, that was popular comedian Ron White hanging out with Kurt Busch and his Miller Lite Dodge team on Sunday at Talladega.  “Ron is a really cool guy and is as funny off the stage as he is on it,” Kurt said.  “It was great having him there and he had the whole team in stitches before the race.

            “Ron had done a show on Saturday night in Springfield, Mo., and wanted to swing back by the Talladega race and soak in the scene,” Kurt explained.  “He requested to come in sort of under the radar screen in a low-profile atmosphere.  Kristy (Cloutier, KBI Executive Assistant) did a heckuva’ job in putting it all together at the last moment.  Ron brought his comedian buddy Alex Reymundo, one of the hottest Latin comics around these days, along for the day and he was about blown away with what all he saw and did.

            “Ron’s been a NASCAR fan for years and he’s always looking for new material,” said Kurt.  “I guarantee you that his trip to Talladega was worthwhile.  We even had the time to chat a little about a potential new CD he’ll be putting out and we may be doing some promotional work with him relative to that project.

            “He hung with us during pre-race and we had him up on the box in the pits for the early part of the race.  Then we had Pauly (coach driver Paul “Tater Tot” Bostic) put him on the golf cart and show him around.  They went over and had some fun at the new Miller Lite Party Deck down in Turn 1.  They spent most of the last half of the race roaming around in the massive infield, taking in all of the weird stuff that goes on there.  After the disappointing day we had out there on the track, it sure was nice to have him back at the coach after the race.  He was still able to make me laugh; even after all we’d been through.”

            “Ron definitely got some new material for his act there at Talladega on Sunday,” Pauly reported on Monday night.  “If we’d had a video crew with us in the infield, he could have packaged that whole episode and made millions off of it.  It was absolutely amazing how many people out there knew him and begged for us to stop.

            “We made several stops and visited inside several of the campers.  I don’t have to tell you what all offers people made to him.  I’m certain that some of the stuff we saw and did will find its way into the material Ron uses on stage on down the line.  We all had a blast.”

            For additional information on Ron, we invite you to visit his site at http://www.tatersalad.com

Talladega 2008 Photos

Alan Kulwicki talking about his first win at PIR

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A MUST SEE! "Outside the Lines: Alan Kulwicki"

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Miller Lite Dodge Driver Kurt Busch, The Lone Dodge Representative In Last Season’s “Chase For The NASCAR Championship,” Was Rewarded By Dodge Officials For His Efforts Wednesday In Detroit.  Busch Was Given The 25,000th Dodge Viper To Roll Off The Assembly Line.  In this photo, Busch is pictured with (L to R) Bob Nardelli, Melissa Holobach (Plant Manager, Conner Ave. Assembly Plant), Busch and General Holiefield (Vice President, United Auto Workers).

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25,000 Vipers Loose On The Streets

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is awarded the 25,000th Dodge Viper to roll off the line

• 25,000th Dodge Viper rolls off the line at Chrysler LLC’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant
• Ultimate American sports car hand-built by Dodge craftpersons since 1992
• All-new 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is powered by an 8.4-liter V-10 engine producing a ground shaking 600 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque

Pat Tryson 2007 Sporting News “Crew Chief of the Year"

Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Pat Tryson officially accepts the 2007 Sporting News "Crew Chief of the Year" Award from Sporting News staff member Matt Crossman during Saturday's activities at Daytona International Speedway. © Steve Rose 2008 - All Rights Reserved

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MILLER LITE TO WAGER $25,000 FOR CHARITY ON #2 BLUE DEUCE,
CHALLENGES BUD TO PLACE SAME WAGER ON ITS CAR
Miller Lite Racing Team Installed As Big Favorite By The Palms Casino Resort Over Rival in “Battle of the Beer Cars”

MILWAUKEE (February 6, 2008) – The Palms Casino Resort unveiled today a new head-to-head betting line that establishes the #2 Miller Lite NASCAR Sprint Cup team as a clear favorite over the rival Bud car for the 2008 season.

Wasting no time in underscoring its confidence in Kurt Busch and the entire Miller Lite Racing team, Miller Brewing Company announced immediately that it is wagering $25,000 on the Blue Deuce to again finish ahead of the Bud car this year, with the winnings pegged for the Kurt Busch Foundation.  The Palms’ official line has the Miller Lite car favored to finish 8½ spots ahead of the Bud car in the final NASCAR Sprint Cup season standings.

Additionally, Miller is wagering $2,500 on the #2 car to finish ahead of the #9 at the Feb. 17 season-opening race in Daytona Beach.  At The Palms Casino Resort, the Blue Deuce is favored to finish 6½ spots ahead of the #9 Bud car in the Daytona race.  The Palms will be setting similar lines between the two cars for each race.

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Photos Copyright: Wayne Ebinger

PENSKE-TAYLOR TEAM SCORES PODIUM FINISH IN ROLEX 24
-All-Star Trio Of Busch, Castroneves & Briscoe Bring Toshiba Pontiac Riley Home Third-

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26-27) – There is a long-standing motto associated with Penske Racing and that is “Effort Equals Results.”  Perhaps there is no better example of that slogan being demonstrated than in the team effort that produced an impressive podium finish for Penske Racing drivers Kurt Busch, Helio Castroneves & Ryan Briscoe in this weekend’s Rolex 24 Grand-Am race at Daytona International Speedway.

            Briscoe was behind the wheel of the Penske-Taylor Racing No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley when it crossed the line third and came to rest on pit road in today’s 46th edition of the famed road racing endurance classic.  The celebrating crew members, along with Busch and Castroneves swarmed around the podium-finishing ride.  Tim Cindric, President of Penske Performance, Inc., who manned the radio for this weekend’s incredible effort, huddled his trio of drivers together by the car.

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KURT BUSCH JOINS LINEUP OF FOXSports.com EXCLUSIVE WRITERS
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Joins Illustrious Group Contributing To 2008 NASCAR Coverage-

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 23, 2008) – Kurt Busch, 2004 NASCAR Sprint Series champion and a 17-time winner at the top level of stock car racing, has joined the list of FOXSports.com’s “Exclusive Writers” covering the 2008 schedule.

            Busch, who is among only 12 drivers to have claimed victories and poles in all three of NASCAR’s top series, will offer his unique perspective on his Pat Tryson-led Miller Lite Dodge Team and also his point of view on all the hot topics in the sport.

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